WorthIt
Career decision

Was retraining as a nurse at 48 after 20 years in retail management worth it?

One person shares the outcome of this decision: “Retrained as a nurse at 48 after 20 years in retail management”. Read how it affected their happiness, stress and finances, and whether they would do it again.

A real outcome shared by Tracey on WorthIt. Not advice. Not opinions. What actually happened.
The one thing nobody tells you
I cried on the way home from my first shift — not from stress but because for the first time in my working life I felt like what I did actually mattered.
Happiness after5/5 · Much better
Stress after5/5 · Much higher
Financial impactSlightly worse
✓ Would do it again

The conversation

Lisa

This gave me goosebumps. I'm 45 and in retail management right now and have been thinking about nursing. Was the pay cut massive?

Anonymous (OP) OP

Yes, significantly less at first. But honestly the job satisfaction made up for it. Two years in now and the pay has caught up a bit. No regrets.

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